Home Warranties Explained for New Homebuyers

How do home warranties work? Everything homeowners need to know about home warranties.

Congratulations — you’re a homeowner! But it can be daunting to look around your newly purchased house and wonder what you’ve taken on. Especially in a new-to-you home, you likely already have a to-do list. One thing you can cross off that list and stop stressing over is what to do about appliances and home systems that may soon need repairing or replacing.
We spoke with Russell Weaver, General Manager for the Sears Home Warranty Program, to find out what Sears home warranties include and if it’s really worth it to purchase one to protect your appliances.

Q: What home warranty plans are available?

A: There are three flavors.

The appliance-only plan, which protects 10 major appliances, such as your washer, dryer, refrigerator, freezer, dishwasher, garbage disposal, stovetop and oven. And best of all, the age, make or model of the products doesn’t matter.

The systems-only plan, which protects things like your heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), electrical and plumbing.

The whole home plan, which is a combination of both. It’s the best value. Appliances and systems are covered. You call one number, and it’s taken care of. Especially with an older home, there are a lot of unknowns. This is protection against unforeseen situations with those products and provides you, the homeowner, peace of mind.

Q: Why do I need a warranty?

A: These plans appeal to everybody. If you’re trying to stay on top of your monthly budget, it protects you against unexpected repair costs. So you can sort of gauge and budget what you might be paying out of pocket. You don’t have to worry about unplanned repair costs or having to buy a new refrigerator or something like that. It keeps you covered that way.
Even if you’re not as concerned with keeping monthly costs in line, it’s peace of mind. It’s like, “I don’t have to worry about finding a service provider. I’ve got it covered.”
So on one end, it’s about predictability and cost, and the other, it’s about convenience.

Q: When something goes wrong with an appliance or system in your home, what do I do?

A: It’s pretty simple. If you need to schedule a repair, you can go online at searshomewarranty.com or there’s a toll-free number that you can call. Let’s say you have one of our warranties, and your refrigerator stops working. You call our experienced technicians and pay an affordable deductible to get it working again — even if the actual cost to repair it is higher. If it can’t be repaired, Sears will replace it, and it’ll have only cost you the price of the deductible.

Q: What if my appliances are already under warranty?

A: A home warranty wouldn’t void another warranty. Perhaps you have issues with your 4-year-old dishwasher and you have an extended warranty or protection agreement you purchased from Sears. You can still get coverage for the dishwasher under that extended warranty. But you could get our whole home warranty, and it will cover nine other appliances at that same rate.

Q: What are the benefits of a Sears home warranty?

A: Aside from peace of mind, we have a nationwide network of highly qualified repair technicians. Sears also offers extra bonus points for its Shop Your Way loyalty program. You’re also able to get free preventive maintenance checks twice a year. In the springtime, we do cooling system maintenance, and in the fall, we do it on your heating system. If you have a repair need that’s not part of planned coverage, you’ll get a discount from Sears to do the work. In addition, you’ll also be able to get discounted oil changes at a Sears Auto Center. There are other home warranty plans out there, but none that offer all of these benefits.